Exploring the adoption of digital health applications: a conceptual model based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT)

The advancement of digital technologies in healthcare has led to the spread of digital health applications to improve patient well-being, monitor health, and improve healthcare services. Despite the benefits of such applications, the adoption of digital health applications remains conflicting among users. This article proposes a conceptual framework for understanding user acceptance of digital health applications based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Through the integration of the key constructs from UTAUT— performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, along with variables specifically related to the healthcare context such as health literacy and perceived health risk, this work aims to provide a comprehensive conceptual understanding of the factors influencing behavioural intention to use digital health applications. This insight can enlighten the development of targeted interventions to encourage acceptance of such applications. The model is projected to offer policymakers, industry players, and scholars strategies to foster the acceptance of digital health applications, improving the uptake of digital health innovations.